Flowers at the site where a woman and two children died in Waiuku. Photo: RNZ/Calvin Samuel
The three people who died in a car crash near Waiuku yesterday were a mother, her daughter and her niece.
RNZ can now name the victims as Frances Latu-Vailea, her daughter Oneahi Vailea and niece Marly Tulua.
They died when their car left Masters Road and crashed into a culvert in wetland on Tuesday afternoon,
Latu-Vailea worked as a court registry officer, and the head of the Ministry of Justice said staff were devastated at the sudden death of their colleague.
Chief executive Andrew Kibblewhite said Latu-Vailea was a court registry officer for the Family Court, primarily based at Pukekohe District Court.
He said she worked in many locations including North Shore, Manukau and Papakura, and the tragedy would have a huge impact on many people.
Kibblewhile said he and his staff offered their deepest condolences to Latu-Vailea's immediate and extended family.
"We are all thinking of Frances' family, and our wider Auckland kaimahi, and offering our support during this very difficult time."
The deaths have also sent shockwaves through the tight-knit Waiuku community.
"It's pretty devastating actually. It's a small town, most people know someone who knows them if they don't know them themselves," local Jennie Tapp said.
"The fact that it was a woman and two children, it just blows your mind."
Another resident Inga Anja Noom said Masters Road had a bad reputation.
"We all feel sick because usually in a small town like this everyone knows somebody and it's a horrible stretch of road and it's not the first and it probably won't be the last. But yeah, no, it's heartbreaking."
The scene of the crash, on a road described by locals as "horrible". Photo: RNZ/Calvin Samuel
Locals say the narrow, bumpy road will continue causing accidents until speed limits are enforced.
Masters Road falls on the border between Auckland and Waikato and was a concern for both regions' councillors.
Waikato district councillor Peter Thomson said it was often used as a shortcut around the more tightly managed main road between Waiuku and Pukekohe.
"I've heard that it's been used as a bypass to the Waiuku-Pukekohe road, so people can feel that they can travel faster on this road rather than the Pukekohe-Waiuku road, which has got a number of speed cameras on it and is only 80 [kilometres per hour]," he said.
Andy Baker - the councillor for Auckland's Franklin Ward which contained Waiuku - said the road was narrow and bumpy.
"This road is predominantly straight, it runs from both ends, it's basically a straight line but it's very undulating and from what I can see where the crash was, it's in a dip, and there's a lot of trees around."
Noom said it was particularly dangerous in wet weather.
"It's quite narrow, it's windy in the start up to it and then it's just one long stretch with humps in the road and bridges and stuff," she said.
"And with weather like this in wintertime, the creeks are completely full on either side, it's really bad."
But Baker said it was too early to determine if the road was a factor in the fatal crash.
"I think it's a little bit premature maybe to say the road's at fault here or there's an issue with the road," he said.
"I know that some locals have been concerned about some things, whether they were contributing to the crash, we won't know until the Serious Crash Unit do their report and eventually it'll run through a coroner's court."
Noom said Masters Road still needed speed cameras like the main Waiuku-Pukekohe road.
"Well if they're going to do it on one side, they'll probably have to do it the other, and everyone will hate me saying that but this is what's happening," she said.
"We had a crash there two weeks ago, they walked away from that one. We had a death there last year and it won't be the last."
She said the crashes would continue until motorists were given a reason to slow down.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
